Pneumatic organ



p 1938- c. s. NORBURN 2,131,637

PNEUMATIC 'ORGAN Filed June 29, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 gnaw bow:

Sept. 27, 1938. c. s. NORBURN 2,131,637

PNEUMATIC ORGAN Filed June 29, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 27, 1938. c. s. NORBURN PNEUMATIC ORGAN Filed June 29, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 19 Claims.

This invention relates to electro-pneumatic organs and more particularly to the construction of the chest and the association of its parts with each other, with other elements for controlling the flow of air to the pipes or reeds.

In the construction of an organ chest, it has been customary to form a series of pneumatic motors as separate elements and to connect passages of related motors by a channel in a board of the bottom of the chest, the motors being biased towards expanded position by some form of spring, whereby the motors would be maintained in expanded or flow-preventing position when the same air pressure exists at opposite sides of the flexible wall of the motor. When pouches are used instead of motors, they are formed by gluing leather over a round hole, and then rubbing it until it is in shape. A spring is placed beneath the leather and a washer glued to its superior surface. Such a pouch has a very limited range of movement, tends to wear from constant bending, and also the leather tends to resume its former shape in the presence of moisture. Pouches and motors of this type have been relatively expensive to manufacture, and, due to the use of springs, are not always reliable in operation and require frequent repair and replacement. Pneumatic stops used in such a chest are placed within the motors and operate to stop the action of the motors, thus preventing the motor from collapsing to open the passages leading to the pipes. Such stops not only tend to choke the action of the motors, but are not positive enough in their own action, and occasionally go hunting, or vibrate, for their position.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a chest having pouches of simple and inexpensive construction that are well adapted for manufacture in multiple units, and which may be so associated with other organ elements that biasing springs are unnecessary. An object is to provide multiple pouches in the form of bars having a recess or plurality of recesses at one face, with a strip of flexible unstressed material extending over each recess; the bar having passage means communicating with the recess or recesses for introducing relatively high pressure air beneath the flexible material to expand the pouches against a super-atmospheric pressure at the outer face of the flexible material. A further object is to form a pouch or multiple pouch which is actuated by differential pressures at opposite faces of the flexible Wall material, and in which a bypass is arranged for the continuous but restricted 55 supply of air under pressure to that face of the flexible material from which pressure is removed to actuate the pouch. Other objects are to provide organs in which pouches or pouch bars are employed as stops and/or as valve actions, the pouches being located in or, at will, subjected on one side to the pressure existing in, the chest, and being operable to closed position by air under a pressure greater than that within the chest. Another object is to provide organs with a pneumatic stop placed in the course of the pipe passage, and operating independent of the valve action to stop the passage itself. More particularly, an object is to provide organs having flow-controlling valves in the form of pouches, the valves being the stops and/or the Valve actions of the organ, and in which the valves or pouches are characterized by the absence of biasing springs.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of the pneumatic system of a pipe organ, a chest with two ranks of pipes being shown in perspective;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the plane indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stop beam and associated control valves;

Fig. 3a is a fragmentary perspective view of a stop beam and modified valve construction;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the valve action shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar perspective view of the bar member of the valve action before the flexible pouch walls are secured to the same;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section similar to Fig. 2, showing another form of action bar;

Figs. 7 and 8 are, respectively, a side elevation and a side elevation with parts in section, of other forms of action bars which may be used with the organ chest shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a transverse section through a duplex stop beam.

In the drawings, the reference numeral l identifies the air space of the organ chest limited by I 1 a top consisting of lateral strips I and pipe boards la, a bottom lb, two sides In and Id, and end I6 and another end not shown. These walls form a box with air-tight joints. Upon its superior surface are two ranks 2-3 of pipes, the

lows and bellows valve 5 may be of any desired construction and operate in the usual manner to maintain a pressure within the organ chest at a substantially constant value which is somewhat less than the pressure within the bellows well 65. According to this invention, the pressure differential between the bellows well and the organ chest is employed to actuate the pouches of the organ stops and/or the valve actions.

As shown in Fig. 2, the stop beams 8 are screwed and glued to pipe boards la and have two spaced passages 9, IE), whose opposite ends communicate, respectively, with the several pipes and with the air space i of the organ chest. The other ends of the passages 9, it for each pipe are open at one face of the stop beam to form, in effect, a continuous passage that is completed and controlled by the flexible wall ll of a pouch. These walls H are of flexible, windproof material, preferably leather, which is glued to the beam 8 adjacent its upper and lower edges and between adjacent sets of the openings 9 and EB. In gluing leather H in place, a small amount of slack is allowed. This is accomplished by placing a thin wooden strip over holes 9 and It, laying the leather over this,

gluing its vertical edges and then pulling out the strip. Care must be exercised that the leather is smoothly applied. However, it has been found that if a tongue ll of thicker flexible leather is placed over the lower hole and attached to beam 8 by gluing one short edge, Fig. 3a, then very little care is necessary in forming the pouch. It works perfectly even though somewhat wrinkled leather is used, or the space left between the F pouch and the beam 8 varies considerably. This results in a continuous and air tight passage from the wind space I to the pipe, such passage having a portion of its wall flexible and collapsible. An air-tight chamber i2 is formed by securing a recessed board I3 to the beam with a cork gasket l4, and by allowing the strips of leather to touch and extend under board l3 to serve as packing material at the joint. This completes the multiple pouch of the stop. There is, of course, a multiple pouch for each stop beam.

The chambers l2 receive air from the high pressure box IE that is mounted on the end of the organ chest and connected to the bellows well 5 by a conduit I 5. Each stop chamber 12 has a double-disk Valve I! that is normally held in raised position, thus introducing high pressure air into the chambers I 2, by the pouch l8 of the primary valve which is controlled by the electromagnet l9. Each pouch i8 is similar to one unit of the pouch to be described in the valve action and shown in Figs. 4 and 5. They are mounted on a board or beam 2b that is secured to the organ chest I and receives air under pressure from the chest through an opening 21. When a pouch I8 is collapsed by energizing the magnet l9 to vent the pouch to atmosphere through the vent l9a, the associated valve El drops to close the communication through the flexible tube l'l' between the associated chamber !2 and the high pressure box 15, and vent the chamber l2 to the atmosphere. So long as the stop chamber 12 is supplied with high pressure air, the pouches l I of that stop will be tightly pressed against the ends of the passages 9, l9 and the pipes will not play. The venting of a chamber l2 to atmosphere will bring the associated pipes into condition for playing as the relatively low pressure air within the organ chest can then force the flexible walls l away from the beam 8 when the valve actions of the pipes are operated to open the passages 10 to the organ chest cavity I.

Various forms of valve actions may be used with the described stops but the valve actions are preferably multiple unit pouches similar to the pouches of the stops. As shown in Figs. 2 and l, the valve action is a multiple pouch formed by gluing the edges of strips 22 of flexible material to the top and side walls of a bar 23, the bar having slots 24 cut entirely across its upper surface beneath the flexible material. The slots or pouch chambers 24 communicate with each other through a channel 25 which is preferably formed as a shallow saw kerf that is closed off to form a conduit by pasting a strip of paper 26 to the edge of the pouch bar. The pouch bar is secured to the lower faces of the stop beam 8 by screws 21 to bring the several pouches in line with the passages IE High pressure air for normally maintaining the valve action pouches in expanded position is brought to the several action bars through the conduit 28 that opens into the bellows well 5, the air chamber 29 that is secured to the side of the organ chest, electromagnetic valves, and flexible tubes 30 of rubber or lead which connect bores in the ends of the action bars 23 and the valve-controlled passages 31 in the air chest 29. These rectangular pouches are superior to the usual round pouch for several reasons. In the round pouch, motion is by a bending of the leather, beginning in the center and extending outward by concentric waves. This tends to wear the leather. The pouches of this invention merely lift upward and, being rectangular and extending to the edge of the bar, they have a larger area than that of a circular pouch that could be located in the given space, and therefore develop more power than the circular pouch. Two of the pouch edges being low and at the sides of the bar, there is no end pull tending to loosen the joints, and the pouches are therefore capable of a greater excursion than is the case where the edges are all on the same planes. Having no spring, there is no special point which must be centered to an opening, and therefore not so much care is necessary in placing them. The new pouch is more prompt in action, for not only does it have no inertia of springs and the necessary attachments to overcome, but it has no spring hole which must be filled with air before the pouch will expanel. The circular pouch must be made with expert labor, while the pouch of this invention may be made with unskilled labor. The new pouch construction may be used at any place in an organ where it is possible to supply its inner face with a higher air pressure than exists upon its outer surface. An example of this is its use for pouch l8 of the primary valve.

As shown in Fig. 2, the passages 3| of the several pouch bars may be placed in communication with the high pressure air chest 29 or vented to atmosphere through the vent 32a in accordance with the position of the armature or valve 32 which is controlled by the electromagnet 33. The electromagnetic actions are key-controlled in the usual manner, the circuits of the magnets being energized by depressing a key or pedal to attract the associated armature and thus vent the action bar to atmosphere. There is, of course, an action bar 23 for each note of the manual and, when a key is depressed, the pouches of the corresponding action bar are collapsed by the pressure within the chest l as the interior of the pouches is vented to atmosphere, thus sounding the pipe or pipes for which the stops have been drawn.

Difficulty has been experienced in the operation of pipe actions of the larger pipes, as the large pouches required expand slowly when the keys are released. A quick response of the valve actions to the release key or pedal is obtained by providing small bleeder openings or vents 34 between the high pressure air chest 29 and the passages 3| to the pouch bars. These bleeder openings are of such size as to permit the air pressure within the pouches to decrease to such value as to permit a collapse of the pouches by the pressure within the chest I, but to prevent the pressure within the pouches from falling to atmospheric when the pouches are vented by energizing the electromagnets 33. A slight increase in the interior pressure upon the release of a key, i. e., a movement of the armature 32 to close the vent opening 32a, thus expands the pouches to close the pipe passages Ill. The size of the bleeder openings 34 may be so selected as to provide the desired rapidity of response for any given action bar but, preferably, the openings 34 are made oversize and adjustable valves 35 are provided for regulating the effective size of the openings. When the bleeder openings are too large, the pouches tend to open slowly or not at all, and the pipes do not sound promptly when a key is depressed. Bleeder openings of too small a size result in a continued sounding of the pipes for an interval after the keys are released. The appropriate effective size of the bleeder openings may be readily determined by trial when the organ is played, and, when the valves 35 are once adjusted, no further regulation is necessary so long as there is no change in the air pressures of the organ chest I and the air chest 29.

The reliable action and relatively large size of the pouches permit use of a single pouch for controlling a number of pipes. A number of forms of action bars of this type are shown in Figs. 6-8.

The organ chest, stop actions and key-operated magnetic valve constructions previously described may be used with the single pouch action bars. As shown in Fig. 6, the action bar is a rectangular bar of wood from which the bottom, or a part of the bottom, 4! was ripped olf with a saw. A large trough 42 was then cut in the lower face of the bar, and outlet holes 43 drilled from the top of the bar to open into the trough. An inlet hole 34 is cut through the bottom 4| before it is glued back in place on the action bar 40, and leather washers 45 are glued about the air inlet and outlet openings. A coupling block 46 has an approx imately U-shaped passage 41 therein; this passage opening into inlet 44 of the bottom board and having a washer 45' around its inlet end. The coupling block is secured to the bar 40 by screws, preferably some of the screws 48 which secure the action bar to the stop beams 8. An inverted pouch is formed at the lower face of the bar 49 for normally closing the inlet to the coupling block. The pouch is substantially the same as those shown in Fig. 4 except that a thin block of wood 46 is secured to the flexible wall strip 50 that extends over a transverse groove cut across the lower face of the bar 40. The flexible tube 30 from the key-controlled magnetic or primary valve, not shown, supplies air to the pouch chamber or groove. The wood block 49 makes the pouch more rugged and supplies a certain weight which tends to keep the pouch or valve closed, thus avoiding tooting when the power is turned on and off.

It will be noted that this action bar differs from the form previously described in that the airtight cavity of the bar carries the pipe air, not the air for controlling the pipe valves. The pipes are played by exhausting the higher pressure air from within the pouch cavity, thus permitting the lower pressure air within the chest to lift the flexible wall 50 and its wood block 49 to open the way to the pipe passages.

The action bar of Fig. '7 is similar to that shown in 6, but the pouch is mounted directly below and controls the air inlet opening 44' in the bot tom board 4i of the bar 40. The transversely grooved bar or board 5| carries the leather strip and its board 49, and is preferably spaced from the bottom board ii by strips 52 at each edge. A thin leather washer or sheet 35a, of the same size as the pouch or board 5i is secured to the lower face of the bottom board 4| The modification shown in Fig. 8 includes an inverted pouch, of substantially the construction shown in Fig. '7, for controlling the air inlet opening 44a which is cut in the bar it to open into the bar cavity.

In order to play the same rank of pipes from two manuals, the stop construction may be duplexed, as shown in Fig. 9, by providing pipe pas-- sages 9, ii) that extend to opposite sides of the stop beam 8', and arranging flexible walls Ha, lb across the passage openings at opposite sides of the stop beam. Recessed bars E30,, i3b extend over the several pouches at opposite sides of the beam, and the pressures at the outer faces of the pouch walls are controlled by valves IT, as shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 9, the stop of the left hand chamber He has been drawn and the wall is may be collapsed to sound the associated pipe. The pressure within chamber 217 is relatively high and the right hand passages 5, I0 cannot be placed in communication by a collapse of the flexible wall i ll).

Reference is made to 2 and 3 for a brief statement of the method of operation of an organ embodying the invention. The several parts are illustrated in the positions which they occupy n the "on for the rank of pipes 2 has been r the key for the illustrated pipes is depressed. The pouches of the action bar are therefore colapsed as the pressure within the bar is reduced by the key-controlled movement of armature to vent the pouch chambers. tivoly low pressure air withii the chest 5 '1 store enters the passages 56 of both ranks of pipes but, since only the stop of the pipes was drawn, the high pressure air within the right hand chamber 52 holds the pouch i5 tightly against the outlets of passages 53, if of the right hand seam and prevents a playing of the pipe 3. stop for the rank of pipe 2 is drawn and therefore the chamber E2 of the left hand rank of pipes is vented to atmosphere, through the valve 5'5, and the chest pressure in passage it therefore collapses the pouch ii of that stop, as illustrated, and the pipe 2 sounds.

It is to be understood that there is eonsiderable latitude in the construction the pouches and the invention is not limited to the illustrated arrangement of two stops and two ranks of pipes, but may be used with any desired number of stops.

I claim:

1. In an organ, the combination with an air chest adapted to be maintained under pressure, and. means defining a pipe passage, of valve means for controlling the fiow of air from said chest into said pipe passage; said valve means including a rectangular bar having a recess in iii) one face thereof, a strip of wind-tight material extending in unstressed condition over the recessed face and along the adjacent edges of the bar, the edges of said strip being secured to said bar, and means for introducing into the recess of said bar air under pressure in excess of that within the organ chest.

2. In an organ, the combination with an organ chest adapted to be maintained under pressure, and means defining a plurality of pipe passages, of key-controlled means for controlling the flow of air from said chest into said pipe passages; said means including a pouch comprising a bar having a recess d face, a strip of flexible windtight material extending in normally unstressed condition over the recessed face of the bar and having its edges fixed to the bar, and manuallycontrolled means for introducing into the bar beneath said flexible wall air under a pressure in excess of that within the organ chest.

3. In an organ, the combination with an organ chest and means for maintaining the same under pressure, and means defining a plurality of pipe passages opening into said chest, of a single man-- ually controlled means for simultaneously controlling the flow of from said chest into said pipe passages; said means comprising a bar having a recess in one face thereof, flexible wall means extending across the recessed face of said bar and having its edges fixed with respect there-- to, and means for introducing into said bar air under a pressure in excess of that within said organ chest.

4. An organ as claimed in claim 3, wherein said pipe passages extend through a stop beam and each include two sections opening adjacent and controlled by the flexible Wall means.

5. an organ as claimed in claim 3, wherein an action having a separate pouch for each pipe passage is included in said manually-controlled means, and the said flexible wall means controls the introduction and exhaust of high-pressure air from said pouches.

6. An organ as claimed in claim 3, wherein said manually-controlled means includes an action bar having a passage therein opening into each of said pipe passages and an air inlet into said passage, said inlet being controlled by said flexible wall means.

7. In an organ, the combination with an organ chest, and a pipe, of means defining a pipe passage adapted to afford communication from said chest to said pipe; said means including rigid wall at which two sections of the passage termihate in adjacent openings and a flexible wall section adapted to be seated upon said rigid wall to close communication between the two sections of said passage, and means for subjecting the outer face of said flexible wall section to air pressure in excess of that within said passage, thereby to maintain said flexible wall section in contact with said rigid wall to close said passage.

8. In an organ, the combination with an organ chest, a plurality of pipes, a stop beam including spaced pipe passages for each pipe, valve means individual to each of said pipes for controlling the flow of air from said chest into one of the pipe passages of that pipe, and manually operated means for controlling the several valve means, of means including flexible Wall material for seating against said beam to control communication between the said pipe passages of the several valves.

9. In an organ, a stop beam having therein a plurality of sets of spaced pipe passages, each of said sets being associated with one pipe, and a multiple pouch for simultaneously controlling communication between the spaced passages of the respective sets.

10. In an organ, an organ chest, a plurality of pipes, passages extending from the chest to each of said pipes, means for controlling the introduction of air from said chest to said passages, and .a stop for controlling the flow of air from said chest through said passages to said pipes; said stop including flexible wall sections forming a part of each of said passages, and means for subjecting said flexible wall sections to air under a pressure in excess of that within the chest, thereby to prevent the flow of air from said chest through said passages.

11. In an organ, the combination with sounding means, and supply means for furnishing air under pressure to said sounding means, of a plurality of serially arranged control means for regulating the flow of air from said supply means to said sounding means, each of said control means including flexible wall material subjected to the differential pressure of said supply means .and a source of air under a pressure in excess of that of said supply means.

12. In an organ, a pipe, a source of air under pressure, a valve action for controlling communication between said source and said pipe, keycontrolled means including means defining a passage leading to said valve action and valve means operable alternatively to connect said passage to said source or to atmosphere, and a by-pass opening of limited capacity connected between said valve action passage and said source of air under pressure.

13. In an organ, the combination with an organ chest, and a plurality of stop beams within said chest and each having pipe passages opening into said chest, the passages of the respective stop beams corresponding to each manual key being transversely alined, of action bars for the respective keys, said bars being secured to the stop beams within said chest and extending below the associated pipe passages, and means carried by said action bars for controlling the respective pipe passages.

14. A valve action for organs comprising an elongated bar adapted to be positioned along the inner wall of an organ chest in line with a plurality of pipe passages, flexible strip material secured to said bar in line with each passage, said bar being recessed beneath said strip material, and passage means for admitting air under pressure to the recessed portion of the bar beneath said strip material to force the same towards the respective pipe passages.

15. A valve action comprising a wooden bar adapted to extend along and in parallel relation to a plurality of pipe passage openings in an organ chest, and a single piece of flexible material covering one face of the bar and extending along the four adjacent faces thereof, said bar having a passage extending therethrough from the face thereof beneath the leather, said passage being adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure.

16. In a valve action, an action bar, a plurality of strips of leather extending transversely across the top face of the bar with the ends thereof turned down over the sides of the bar, adhesive means securing the edges of the strips to the bar, and passage means extending through the bar to admit air to and to exhaust the same from the regions beneath the strips of leather.

bar being within said chest and having an inlet opening for admitting air from said chest to the passage within said bar, and key-controlled means carried by said bar for controlling the said inlet opening.

19. In an organ, the combination with a valve action of the type comprising a source of air under pressure, a chamber and Valve means operative to connect said chamber alternatively to said source and to the atmosphere, of means providing a by-pass connection between said source and said chamber.

CHARLES S. NORBURN. 

